Gallery: Urban birdwatching guide to Brisbane

August 24, 2017

From the coast to the rainforest-draped hills, Brisbane is a biodiversity hotspot bursting with interesting birdlife. A range of habitats – including dry forest, grasslands, wetlands, and even backyards – supports an impressive number of birds.

“We have the benefit of the overlap between the northern tropical birds and the southern birds,” says David Niland from Birds Queensland. “Plus we have a few species that are unique to southeast Queensland and northern NSW, such as the black-breasted button-quail.”

The coast of Brisbane is home to a range of marine birds – from your standard pelican to rather more unusual visitors. “Out on the islands you can see the beach stone-curlew,” says David. “From time to time you can see black swans and ducks feeding on the saltwater estuaries too, which is a bit unusual.”

It’s tricky to pick just a few species from a total of around 400, but we’ve compiled a list of 20 Brissy birds you might encounter around the city.

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This crow is the most common corvid species in Brisbane, and like its raven cousins, it is all black with white eyes. It has shorter throat hackles than ravens, and shuffles its wings upon landing.

Torresian crows are intelligent. They have learned how to eat cane toads without ingesting their poison. They flip the toad onto its back and whack it with their bill, and then feed only on the intestines and thighs, avoiding the poisonous skin secretions. This behaviour is culturally transmitted between individuals.

An opportunistic species, Torresian crows have expanded their range and increased in number with growing urbanisation across their range. They are aggressive and will attack other birds – including larger species. From January to August, bands of marauding crows roam across the suburbs.

Size: 50cm

Call: nasal ‘uk-uk-uk’

Where to spot them: common in urban areas of Brisbane, requires tall trees for nesting and a permanent water source